Quite often por can be translated as by. Sometimes
it's not that easy therefore it's useful to remember
that por indicates
a motive, an attitude, a reason, a time frame, a not
defined place, a tool or the intend. Furthermore keep
in mind that por indicates the originator of the action.
I. expression of reason, motif, attitude
or intend: por
One could say that in the majority of the cases a motif
or a reason is given with the preposition for. In some
cases the Spanish construct their sentences completely
different and there is no direct translation.
motif =
for (mostly)
Lo
hace por mí.
= He does it for me.
Por mí puede
terminar ahora mismo.
= I do not mind if you stop right now.
Si fuera por tí,
el mundo entero estuviera como tu papá,
bien educado y aburrido.
= If it was for you the world would be like your Dad, well
educated and boring.
No le regalaron nada.
Siempre tenía que luchar por lo que
quería.
= They didn't give him anything for free.
Always he had to fight for what he wanted.
¿Es ingenuo
luchar por la paz?
= Is it naive to fight for peace?
Nosotros luchamos por
la democracia.
= Wir kämpfen für die Demokratie.
La prensa sigue insistiendo
en que sólo se casó por el
dinero.
= The press insists that he only married
for the money.
El trabaja por el
dinero.
= He works for the money.
reason
= because of
La
gente no entiende que es por la inflación
que se están volviendo más
pobres.
= People do not understand that they become
poorer because of the inflation.
Por el accidente
no pudo venir.
= Because of the accident he couldn't come.
Por la marea mucha
gente ha perdido su casa.
= Because of the flood many people lost
their home.
II. expression of reason, motif, attitude
or intend: para
If the reason, the motif, the attitude or the intend
described by an infinitive verb the preposition is para.
The translation then is to.
La
gente viene solo para comer.
= People only come to eat.
Lo hace para no gastar
tanto dinero.
= He does it, not to spend so much money.
Si fuera solo para
comer una paella no tenemos que ir a España.
= If it was only to eat Paella we do not have
to go to Spain.
Vivir para ser libres
y luchar para dejar de ser esclavas.
= Live to be free and fight to stop being
slaves.
La
juventud está dispuesta a luchar para defender
su sexualidad.
= Youth is willing to fight for the defence of their
sexuality.
¿Cuánto
paga para obtener un buen servicio?
= How much do you pay to receive a good service?
¿Cuánto
paga para almacenar los datos?
= How much do you pay to save the data?
El trabaja para
ganar dinero.
= We works to earn money.
Comparison
por and para (por + noun = for / because of; para
+ infinitive = to)
Lo hace por
el dinero. = He does it for (because
of) the money.
Lo hace para comer. = He does it to eat.
Trabaja por su familia.
= He works for his family.
Trabaja para ganar
dinero. = He works to earn money.
¿Cuánto
pagas por el libro? = How much do you
pay for the book?
¿Cuánto
paga para limpiar el sistema? = How
much do you pay to clean the system?
Lo hacemos por gusto. = We do it for the fun.
Lo hacemos para divertirnos. = We do it to amuse ourselves.
III. stating a fact: para
If stating a fact without an influence of attitude
to this fact the preposition to be used is para.
Un
pacifista trabaja para el Pentágono.
= A pacifist works for the Pentagon.. (stating
a fact)
aber:
Un pacifista trabaja
por el Pentágono.
= A pacifist works because
of the Pentagon..(Motif)
El trabaja para una
empresa italiana.
= He works for an Italian firm. (stating
a fact)
aber:
El trabaja por una
empresa italiana.
= He works because of an Italian firm. (Motif)
Lo hacemos por un
cliente nuestro.
= We do it for one of our clients. (Motif)
aber:
Lo hacemos para un
cliente nuestro.
= We do it because of one of our clients..(stating
a fact)
The difference is now clearer between por (for, because
of = meaning a reason) and para (for = stating a fact).
IV. stating a fact or expression of
attitude?
Sometimes it can be difficult to decide whether it
is just a statement of facts or an expression of attitude.
Then both alternatives are possible and it is just up
to you which one to use.
Lo
hago por tí. = I do it because
of you.
Lo hago para tí.=
I do it for you.
Un equipo que trabaja
para Usted. = A team that works for
you.
Un equipo que trabaja
por Usted. = A team that works for
(because of) you.
Trabaja por la revolución
democrática, antiimperialista.
= He works for the democratic, anti-imperialistic
revolution.
La izquierda trabaja
para la revolución que no cree posible.
= The left wing works for the revolution
that they do not believe to be possible.
V. tool, means, local definition: by,
through
When describing tools, means or local definitions por
means by or through.
Lo
supe por el canal de noticias CNN.
= I have heard in the news channel CNN.
Lo que ocurrió
luego, lo supe por el relato de mi madre.
= What happened then I heard through
the report of my mother.
Lo conocí por
ti.
= I met him through you.
Lástima que
me enteré por otros medios y no por
Usted.
= It's a pity that I heard through other means
and not through you.
Esto lo tienes que
aprender por ti mismo.
= You have to learn this by yourself.
Subieron
los escalones y entraron por la puerta.
= They came up the stairs and came in through
the door.
Iban
por el desierto.
= They went through the desert.
Hacía tres días
que andaba por el bosque y había perdido
la noción del tiempo.
= For three days, he went through the woods
and lost his sense of time.
Hemos dado una
vuelta por la ciudad.
= We had a walk through the town.
por
for local definition
¿Dónde
está mi monedero? Está
por ahí.
= Where is my wallet? It is somewhere there.
Vamos a Madrid pasando
por Barcelona.
= We go to Madrid through Barcelona.
VI. giving time: in
Por
la mañana suele trabajar.
= In the morning I usually work.
Por la tarde hace tanto
calor que no se puede salir de casa.
= In the afternoon it's so hot that one can't
leave the house.
VII. stating prices: for
Before prices the preposition por
is used.
Te lo doy por 400
€. = I give it to you for 400
€.
¿Me lo vendes
por 100 €? = Do you sell it
to me for 100 €?
Pagé 200 €
por este libro. = I paid 200 €
for this book.
VIII. substitution, change, mixing things:
for (instead of)
Pues
no es legal, pero puedo firmar por él.
= It's not legal but I can sign for (instead
of) him.
Le tomaron por otra
persona.
= They took him for somebody else.
Puedes cambiar esta
camisa azul por la amarilla.
= You can change this blue shirt for this
yellow one.
